


Misery Business

by MoonlightxRain



Series: Valorant University Side Stories. [1]
Category: League of Legends
Genre: Doesn't follow the same themes though, F/F, F/M, Inspired by Misery Business, M/M, Multi, also they're gay now, not a lot of em
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:02:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24499135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlightxRain/pseuds/MoonlightxRain
Summary: A Valorant University Side Story. When Xan Irelia piques the interest of the Valorant Vixen, Song Ahri, they form an unlikely friendship. Ahri isn't the only one with her  eyes set on Reli though.
Relationships: Ahri/Xan Irelia (League of Legends), Syndra/Xan Irelia (League of Legends)
Series: Valorant University Side Stories. [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1770013
Kudos: 21





	1. Let's Take It From The Top.

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [You Give Me Something To Think About (That’s not the shit in my head) - Valorant University](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24317965) by [Lily_Rhonin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lily_Rhonin/pseuds/Lily_Rhonin). 



> Well, seeing as 'Like a Baby' has become the jumping off point for the creation of the ValU AU written by my best friend Lily_Rhonin, I wanted to hop into it officially with some Ahri/Irelia stuff, which alongside Leona/Diana is my bread and butter LoL ship. This story takes place about 2 years prior to 'You Give Me Something To Think About' and as such things that are established in that fic might not yet have happened in this one. Lily and I are coordinating to make sure there's no weird continuity errors, so hopefully this doesn't get you confused for the other fic and vice versa. Have a good read, and stay safe out there.

Xan Irelia. Kendo prodigy and dancing queen of Navori High, accepted into Valorant University on both scholarship and scholastic merit, was widely regarded as a no-nonsense stickler with a dedication to her academic endeavors second only to her dancing and her swordplay. Elected to the student council by a landslide as the most popular first year representative, she had immediately caught the eye of one Song Ahri. The pink-haired girl had amassed quite a reputation of her own, one she was very aware of and took immense pride in. The Valorant Vixen was a title she wore with no shame, as she knew she had both the looks and mind to make a fox green with envy. As it happened, she shared a few courses with Irelia, and after tactfully skipping a class that she’d already read ahead for, approached the young woman the next day with a line she knew was guaranteed to start a conversation. She’d caught sight of Irelia at one of the picnic tables set up outside the cafeteria for those students who preferred to eat outside, a practice she’d noted from seeing her out there most days that Irelia was preferential to, and had strolled leisurely over after she knew the class had ended.

“Hey, you’re Irelia right? We take Ionian History 131 together. I couldn’t make it to yesterday’s class and I was wondering if you could fill me in on what I missed. My name’s Ahri.”

It was simple, really. Irelia was the epitome of a diligent student, and while common opinion was that she was as cold as the steel of her blades, Ahri suspected that the girl was simply a bit awkward, and probably just needed someone to reach out first.

“Sure thing, I’ve got the rest of the day free, so we can take as much time as you need. Shall we head to the library?”

Ahri nodded quickly, both because she was eager to spend time with Irelia and because Irelia was ready packing up her books. As the two girls walked, Irelia surprised Ahri by striking up a conversation with her unprompted.

“So, the Valorant Vixen, is it? I was curious, did you come up with that yourself or did someone else give it to you?”

It wasn’t a question Ahri had been expecting to ever hear from her, but the earnest curiosity in Irelia’s voice reminded Ahri of an overly serious child, and she couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her face as she thought for a moment on her answer.

“Well, I think Evelynn was the one who coined it. One snapchat fox filter pic posted to her story and suddenly everyone’s calling me that. I don’t mind it too much, since I’ve always admired foxes. Cunning and grace… those are definitely things I’d like to be associated with.”

The girls had slowed down their walk as Ahri talked, and Ahri’s gold eyes met Irelia’s aquamarine counterparts as she finished up her answer. Irelia’s gaze seemed to search Ahri’s for moment before she nodded slightly.  
The smallest of smiles curved her lips upwards as she turned back ahead, small enough that Ahri almost missed it.

“I see. I think it suits you.”

At this she resumed her walk towards the library, leaving a momentarily stunned Ahri behind for a few seconds before looking back to make sure the other girl was still following her. Ahri shook her head to clear her thoughts as she walked to catch up, the unexpected compliment sending her mind into a whirlwind of thought. She definitely had to get to know this girl better.

As it turned out, getting to know Irelia was easier than most people would have guessed. In the week after their impromptu study session – in which Ahri felt she’d learned more than the class would have actually taught her – Irelia had begun saving Ahri a space next to her in the lecture halls, or would pat the seat next to her when she was sitting outside and Ahri would walk by. The first thing Ahri learned about Irelia was that she somehow found the time to make her own lunch at least three times a week, packaged in a cute pink bento box to boot, and the second was that Irelia was a ludicrously good cook. This was learned after Irelia offered her a spoonful of rice with a chicken curry, wanting her opinion on the taste and if she needed more pepper.

“My sister is no good for this, she just eats anything I give her and says everything I cook is delicious.”

Ahri shrugged before taking the proferred spoon, noting with amusement in the back of her mind that sharing a spoon was something most people would only do with a family member or significant other, then took a bite. The taste exploded across her tongue, and she suddenly understood why Irelia’s sister would say everything she made was delicious, if this was a dish she was uncertain. A delighted hum made it out of her before she could help it, causing Irelia to quirk her eyebrow. 

“I think it’s perfect. Spirit’s grace, I haven’t had such good curry in all my life.” Ahri was gushing, her expression blissful and her voice almost reverent. Irelia blushed, not expecting such high praise. 

“I can bring some for you tomorrow if you’d like. I made enough for the whole week.”

Ahri gasped, her eyes lighting up and her mouth breaking out into a wide smile. She grabbed Irelia’s hands, eliciting a further blush that went unnoticed in Ahri’s excitement. 

“Xan Irelia, I think I might have to marry you before someone steals you and your cooking away for themselves.”

Ahri’s voice was so serious when she said this that Irelia couldn’t help but giggle, and Ahri soon followed suit. This became the third thing Ahri learned about Irelia. Her laugh was absolutely precious. 

By the time three weeks had rolled by, the two had exchanged phone numbers, and Irelia had surprised Ahri by texting her first, although it was simply to ask how she was faring in their assigned homework; An essay on Ionian mythology. Ahri had chosen to write about the Vastaya, who were supposed to be a race of human-animal hybrids who possessed magical abilities, while Irelia had elected to cover the Order of the Lotus, a group of spiritualists wh tales said had found a way to sustain themselves through an endless cycle of rebirth after death. Irelia had been curious enough to ask Ahri to tell her more about the Vastaya, and Ahri was happy to oblige, only having chosen the topic because she herself had been raised on stories of the Vastaya. It was a Friday night, and as they had no extracurriculars lined up for the weekend, Ahri suggested they meet at the campus cafe. Throwing a grey varsity jacket over the cream tank top she was wearing, she slipped into a pair of comfortable leggings and grabbed her tablet and phone. She walked to the door of her dorm room and paused after stepping into a pair of slippers, looking at her roommate Nami, who was curled up in a blanket reading a book by lamplight.

“I’m heading out to the cafe Nams, you want me to pick anything up for you? Might be a while though, fair warning.”

The small girl looked up and shook her head, smiling at Ahri as the lamplight reflected off her glasses. 

“No thanks Ahri, but I appreciate it. Have fun though!”

Ahri nodded, giving the girl a smile in return and a small wave as she opened the door, stepping out into the night air. She sighed contentedly, taking a deep breath and beginning her short trek to the cafe. It was a 24-hour affair, or at least the outer section was, owing to the vending machines for snacks and drinks, as well coffee, being placed there. Upon arriving, she headed over to a vending machine to get a quick bite, buying a pack of chocolate chip cookies and a can of iced tea before taking a seat to wait for Irelia. It hadn’t been more than a minute or two before Ahri picked up on footsteps walking towards the cafe, and she turned to see who it was, her eyes were drawn almost immediately to the bright locks of lavender hair tied in a low ponytail as Irelia walked into view, dressed in a form fitting pair fo black jeans and a pastel pink bomber jacket zipped up almost all the way. 

“Good evening Ahri,” Irelia greeted her, a small smile on her face. Ahri smiled back at her as she settled into her seat. 

“Evening Reli, want a cookie?” Ahri reached out, pack of cookies in hand and opened. Irelia nodded, taking one and popping it into her mouth quickly. She grabbed a chair and brought it next to Ahri, as the blonde had propped her tablet up on its case and was navigating its screen with one hand while idly popping a cookie into her mouth with the other. Ahri was warm next to Irelia, and as the night was fairly cool she leaned into her a bit, placing her hands on her lap as she brought her face closer to the screen and thus closer to Ahri’s.  
Ahri glanced at the other girl as she felt Irelia’s slight lean in but said nothing, figuring the extra warmth would do them both good. 

“Okay, so the first Vastayan myth I’m going to tell you about is that of the gumiho; a nine-tailed fox who would lure people in with their good looks and then steal their essence, feeding on their life force until the gumiho was sated.”

“Oh. I didn’t know we were talking about you, Ms. Valorant Vixen. Is that your plan then, to lure me in and rob me me of my essence?” Ahri couldn’t help but giggle at the earnest tone in Irelia’s voice, and Irelia couldn’t help but crack a grin at her own joke.

“Hmmm, I haven’t decided yet. If you’re still around by the end of the semester I think you’ll know.”

“The suspense will kill me if you don’t, I’m sure.”

Ahri giggled again, and Irelia joined in with a few mirthful chuckles, her eyes shining as she watched her friend laugh.


	2. Strangeness and Charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahri deals with trouble the way she knows best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead I swear, I'm just awful at consistent uploading and writing.

“You know, you don’t have to wait for me out here. You can apply for the council yourself, we’re still looking for a few members for some key positions.”    
It was 3PM on a Monday afternoon, and Ahri had been sitting outside the student council room for about half an hour waiting for Irelia to be done with the meeting. She snorted at her friend’s suggestion as she rose from her seat.   
  


“The Student Council couldn’t handle me Reli, and honestly I don’t think putting me in there with some of those people is such a good idea.”   
“And why exactly is that, huh Ahri?” Ahri groaned as she heard a third voice interject, knowing exactly to whom it belonged.    
“Ah, Syndra. I guess you and Ahri already know each other.” Irelia quirked an eyebrow at the interaction but decided to let it play out.   
“Oh yeah, we go way back. Syndra’s been a pain in my ass for years, and it’s almost comforting to see she’s still the same as ever. See Reli, they might have let you in to represent the best of our year, but they let her in to represent the worst.”   
“I suppose that means I’m representing  _ you  _ then, aren’t I Ahri?”   
“In your  _ dreams,  _ bitch.”   
  


Syndra was about to retort when Irelia snorted in what seemed to be poorly stifled laughter, catching both Ahri and Syndra by surprise.   
“I’m sorry,” she said, blinking rapidly and clearing her throat, “but you two act just like my siblings used to back home.” She paused, an expression Ahri could only call wistful settling on her features. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head slightly and spoke softly as she continued, “It’s almost like being there with them again.” After a moment of stunned silence, neither Ahri nor Syndra knowing quite how to react, Irelia spoke again.    
“Anyway, we should get going Ahri. I’ll see you next meeting Syndra.” At this she walked off quickly, leaving a still confused Syndra to give Irelia a quick wave and Ahri a curt nod. Ahri waved back lamely before almost running to catch up to Irelia, not quite sure what had just happened. As she caught up to the pink haired young woman, she was going to ask what that was all about, but one look at Irelia’s face told her it would be a distinctly bad idea. Irelia looked like she was about to cry, her normally impassive visage now fractured as she kept walking. Ahri was at a loss as to what to do next,so she did what she would normally do with her younger sister when she was going to cry. Granted, it had been a few years since Ahri’d had to console her younger sister, but she didn’t have any better ideas. She hoped that the lecture halls were still open as she grabbed Irelia by the wrist and took the lead, 

“I know we had plans to study this evening, but I think that can wait. We’re heading to one of the lecture halls.” Ahri explained as she dragged Irelia along, looking back to give her friend a quick wink. Irelia looked dazed but nodded, letting herself be led for the quick minute or two it took Ahri to find an empty lecture hall.“Don’t tell anyone, but I found the keys to this lecture hall stuck in here one morning when I decided to be early for class and I uh… sorta yoinked ‘em so I could use this room after classes when I needed somewhere to dance privately,” Ahri blushed as she said this, retrieving said keys from somewhere inside her school bag, “I know I should probably just leave them in here one morning so a teacher can take them back, but it’s so nice to have a classroom all to myself. It’s out of the way so no one really comes here unless they have classes, and I just lock it when I’m in here and leave it unlocked when I go, that way the classroom can still be used for, y’know, actual classes.” 

Throughout this explanation, Irelia had regarded Ahri with an expression that while still clearly not okay, was more akin to the ones Ahri was used to seeing on Irelia’s face. She was surprisingly cute despite her seemingly cold expression, or maybe it was because of it? Ahri wasn’t too concerned with telling which one it was. 

After a moment, Irelia gave a weak smile, and simply shook her head.    
“If the custodial or academic staff are careless enough to leave the keys to a classroom in the door, then I’m thankful they ended up with someone who can be trusted. Your secret is safe with me,” she said softly, nodding at Ahri.   
Ahri sighed in relief, setting her bag down as she walked over to the door and quickly locked it. She began walking down the flights of stairs to the podium at the bottom, Irelia following suit soon after.    
“You know, if this were anyone else locking me in here with them I might be worried.”   
Ahri scoffed.    
“If you aren’t worried about being in here with me then I’m slipping. Most people would kill to be in your shoes.” 

Irelia chuckled lightly at that, and Ahri smiled to hear the sound. She wasn’t quite sure what had happened to Irelia, although she couldn’t shake the strange feeling that she should. Still, she shook it off as they reached the podium. She was here with her friend for a reason, after all.    
“Okay, so I know you’ve danced for most of your life. What you might not know, is that I have too! Not for quite as long as you, probably, but I've been doing gymnastics and dance for about 11 years now. I brought you here to ask you if you’d like to dance with me since you looked like you were gonna cry and I would always dance with my younger sister when it looked like she would cry, and I figured you didn’t wanna burst into tears in the middle of the hallway, so I figured even if you didn’t wanna dance, at least you’d be away from prying eyes if you needed to cry. That includes me, by the way. Say the word, and I’ll give you the key and you can take as long as you need in here.” Ahri said all this without a pause in between, which in some part Irelia’s mind registered as impressive. 

  
Irelia was once again looking dazed, but recovered after a second or two. She gave Ahri a look that seemed equal parts tense and hopeful, but dropped her bag on the floor in front of the stage and walked slowly over to Ahri, who had been standing at the edge of the stage, and looked up at her as a smile settled on her face.    
“I think I’ll be fine, thanks to you. No one has asked me to dance in some time, and even when they did, it was always  _ for _ them, not  _ with  _ them. Thank you, for asking to dance with me, and for trying to make sure I’d be alright and even trying to make me feel better. It’s more than you had to do, and it means so much to me that you did. Now, help me up there, and let’s dance.” Irelia reached out her hand, and Ahri smiled as she grabbed hold, helping the other girl up before reaching into her pocket for her phone and finding her music player, setting the phone down once she’d selected a playlist. Cranking the volume up to the max, she set it down as a few slow piano notes ushered in the first song, soon accompanied by a melody of other piano keystrokes, which in turn ushered in a lilting flute. Ahri exaggerated a bow towards Irelia as she proffered a hand this time, smirking as they locked eyes.   
“May I have this dance, fair lady?”    
Irelia outright giggled, but took Ahri’s hand and did a bow of her own. “But of course.”    
Drawing Irelia in close enough that Ahri could faintly smell her perfume, a cherry blossom scent that fit her perfectly, Ahri took Irelia’s other hand and, as the piano’s notes began to swell, began a slow waltz across the stage, with Irelia keeping pace effortlessly, their footsteps echoing lightly across the room.   
“Well, I see we’ve both learned Western Ballroom to some degree,” Ahri noted, her eyes locked with Irelia’s, words barely above a whisper. If she spoke too loudly, wherever spell was at work here would end, and she would no longer be close enough o- no,no. Ahri shouldn’t be having these thoughts, she was doing this to help a friend.    
“Ballroom dancing has never been much to my taste, too stiff. But,” Irelia’s words were so soft Ahri could almost have missed them as the music swelled, resounding in the enclosed space, “this feels much better. Maybe it’s because my partner is someone I can actually trust.” Irelia smiled once again, leaning into Ahri a bit more as the crescendo of the music continued, and Ahri prayed to the Spirit and any other higher powers that Irelia couldn’t feel her heart pounding in her chest as she continued to lead the dance. She wasn’t supposed to be feeling like this, she told herself. It’s just a dance. It doesn’t mean anything like that. It couldn’t. But as they continued, oh, she truly wished it did.


End file.
